How to Incorporate Culture in Clothing; Desi Diaspora Edition

     I hate the word Diaspora. To me, it signifies a disconnect from one’s culture in which they create their own culture and ideals separate from their original traditions, essentially watering them down and white-washing them. Yes, I have many bones to pick with a lot of “Pakistani immigrants” who enjoy the label immigrant even though their parents were born here and it was their grandparents who immigrated and struggled and the second-gen now continues the family tradition of celebrating Eid and Pride Month! Well, I digress. Fashion-wise, I know a lot of us immigrants struggled with our culture in terms of clothing. We want to wear jeans and shirts, much to the displeasure of our parents, but we also want to feel connected to our roots, proudly showing our heritage. How do you do both? As a part-time immigrant, I’m here to tell you what I think works. 

1. Jewellery

To elevate any outfit, you simply need to wear a bit of jewellery. I hate the new trend of wearing minimal jewellery, because you can easily look rich, well off, and elegant with a bit of gold, don’t you agree? And desi culture has no shortage of jewellery. From gold for your forehead to gold for your toes, there’s a lot of ways to wear desi jewellery. 

♡ Earrings

Depending on where you’re from in the south asian world, there are a lot of earrings you can sport. As a punjabi princess myself, I like to wear Jhumke. Small jhumkes or small earrings can elevate an outfit immediately, bonus points if it’s gold. 

♡ Bracelets

Bole chudiyaan, bole kangana “please wear me”. Just like simple earrings, simple bracelets can genuinely make you look so much more elegant. I wear gold bracelets when going to school and aside from the satisfying sound of the bangles clinking making me feel like I’m Geet from Jab We Met, it also just makes you look good. It enhances a part of your body that would otherwise be overlooked. If you don’t have a bracelet, then payals work just as fine and give more sounds if that’s what you’re looking for. 

♡ Necklaces

Now, this is for my non-hijabi girls, or hijabi girls that expertly cover their necks and still manage to wear necklaces (teach me), wearing a simple gold necklace is so so pretty! Bonus points if it’s a name necklace in Urdu, Hindi, Arabic, or Telugu, or any language you speak at home. Trust me, you look very cultured like that.

2. Bindi

If you are a non muslim, then bindi’s are perfect for you. A simple coloured dot in between your eyebrows is a great way of showing your desi culture. Seriously, it gives 2000s Bindi Babes.

3. Kajal/Kohl/Surma

Unfortunately, this is a beauty enhancer I am unable to participate in. Why? It just doesn’t look good on me! Kajal makes my eyes look smaller, and I look just weird. When I put surma on, I like to just put it in the outer corners of my eyes or give the illusion of kajal on my lower lash line using eyeliner. Also, I always use kajal on my upper lash line whenever I want to give the illusion of fuller lashes. And hey, don’t feel bad if kajal doesn’t look good on you! One of the prettiest women of Bollywood, IMO, actually looks worse with kajal: Kareena Kapoor. Compare her look in K3G to her in Jab We Met. She looks gorgeous in both, but there’s a reason why people say that Miss Pooja herself is an icon. Her clothes, and her makeup. In K3G, Kareena does the same thing I just said, she uses what looks to be brown eyeshadow on her lower lash line to give the illusion of Kajal whilst not actually wearing it. 

Kareena in K3G

Kareena in Jab we Met

So just find what looks best on you and go with it! Side note, I miss you Bebo!

4. Kurta’s

Now this is something I wholly attribute to Geet, it was a trend before her, but I genuinely think of her whenever I wear a kurta over jeans. This fusion combines the elegance and tradition of the kurta with the casual, contemporary feel of jeans, creating a versatile and stylish look. The juxtaposition makes a great look. Cargo’s work just as well!

    Embrace these dynamic approaches to fashion, and let your wardrobe be a testament to your rich heritage and global sensibility.

    Should I make a part two?

The Lost Glamour of the Fashion Magazine; How Fashion Magazines Are Losing Their Prestige in the Pursuit of Relatability

    Fashion Magazines are now considered a dead art. Something quite sad and I advocate for the return of the fashion magazine. Nowadays, it’s all about articles and tiktoks, and no one really opens up a Vogue magazine anymore. Or any of the successful magazines of the 90s and 2000s.  Fashion magazines were peak fashion, with beautiful high-budget spreads and glossy adverts. I remember growing up in the late 2000s and whenever my mom would take me to the salon where she’d get her hair done, there would be fashion and beauty magazines on the table that I would look through. Child me was immediately transported to a runway of trends, and glamour. Something that was chic and felt like I could not possibly grasp. 

And truly, the prices reflect the glamour. Entering my local shoppers, one magazine is above 30 CAD. I usually just read the magazine there in the store without buying, like I was secretly entering this world for free. But now, when I open a magazine, all I’m greeted with is millennials trying to appease the masses using broken slang and reporting on every fashion trend using gross buzzwords like “That Girl” “Slay” etc. 

    “The panel agreed that, while it might not suit luxury or high-end fashion, a relatable and relaxed tone is often the most successful. Magazines like Glamour aren’t afraid to use emojis or write in the first person because they know that the audience does too.” Jo Elvin, editor-in-chief of Glamour magazine 

    This was an excerpt from a panel discussion at Web Summit to hear how fashion magazines adapt to the growing digital influence. The speakers were Jo Elvin, editor-in-chief of Glamour magazine, Christene Barberich, co-founder & global editor-in-chief of Refinery29, and Laura Bradley, editorial director of Dazed Media. Now. by listing out these names, are we surprised that one of the names is from Refinery29? An outlet whose writing was the very first I criticised? The fact that fashion magazines were willing to steep so low as to use emojis in their writing honestly got a visceral reaction out of me. This is the problem I want to highlight here in today's blog.  Once bastions of sophistication and high style, many fashion magazines are now lowering their standards, veering away from their iconic, exclusive allure in favour of a more relatable, yet arguably less distinguished, approach. 

When we stop holding ourselves to high standards, wanting our writing to be the best of the best, and wanting our magazines to be revered, we end up with less than mediocre writing with magazines including printed emojis and writing with no substance. Glamour magazine (isn’t that ironic?), alongside other magazines that have embraced the digital approach, criticised Vogue for their disapproval of fashion bloggers (oops), and the general consensus was that Vogue appears wildly out of touch. But in the end, there’s a reason why people say something is “En Vogue” and not “En Glamour”. 

These “relatable” fashion magazines are using the BuzzFeed method, as I like to call it. BuzzFeed, the factory constantly churning out “relatable” content, got its success off of being pleasing to the masses. It is for that very reason that BuzzFeed articles are not known for their literary prowess, rather, quite the opposite reputation. As the New York Times reports:

“A few years later, BuzzFeed became a factory farm of virality using Peretti’s theory as its working principle, fueled by that which was “relatable” — a word BuzzFeed has stamped onto hundreds of articles, from “17 Times Oprah Was the Most Relatable Billionaire Ever” to “21 Relatable Tweets You’ll Need to Immediately Tag Yourself in and Comment, ‘Me.’ ” The “relatable” tag houses a collection of stories that suggest a mass Liz Lemoning of American youth. The “you” these articles point to is always the same: quirky but smart, introverted but friendly, shaded with a charmingly pathetic love of spreadable cheese.” Why Do We Obsess Over What’s ‘Relatable’? New York Times

It’s as if the quirky Pixar main character girl was turned into a magazine, that would be BuzzFeed.

Another thing I wanted to touch on that contributes to the loss of elegance in the reputation of the fashion magazine, was the indulgence in politics. Now while we all know there is a specific agenda being pushed out by people (ahem) all the time, I was surprised when I found out Teen Vogue was also involved in this. I wholeheartedly agree with the statement that fashion is political. From the clothes of a person, you can understand and get a grasp of the type of society they live in, and clothes are often used to make a political statement. But that’s where I draw the line in the presence of politics in my fashion magazine. I only want to see it when it’s related to fashion. I don’t want to read about Roe V Wade in my 30 CAD Vogue magazine!

“Fashion magazines are often seen as frivolous or shallow, so political coverage is probably their attempt to position their readers as more modern, progressive women who like more heavy-hitting subjects. However, there’s nothing shameful or “unfeminist” about being interested in traditionally feminine topics like clothing or beauty. To some, fashion is purely materialistic, but to me, it represents well-curated taste and a good eye.” Going Rogue: Fashion Magazines aren’t the Place for Politics, the Harbinger

This is an excerpt from an article by the Harbinger which I recommend all you guys reading to check out as it perfectly captures how I feel about politics in my magazine. Like I genuinely cannot wrap my head around why I need to be aware of the upcoming pride parade in my fashion magazine, that’s not why I bought one in the first place. 

The move towards relatable content and user-generated material blurs the lines between professional critique and amateur opinion. This erosion of editorial authority weakened the magazine’s influence and ability to shape fashion trends, reducing its role to just another platform in the vast sea of online content. While the move towards relatability in fashion magazines may be a response to changing reader demands, it also represents a significant departure from the elements that once made these publications so revered. The shift towards everyday fashion and simplified content risks compromising the prestige and sophistication that have long defined the world of high fashion magazines. As the industry navigates this new terrain, the challenge will be to balance relatability with the timeless allure that once set these magazines apart.

Sigh. There go millennials ruining everything once more.

Smoking En Vogue? Why is Smoking considered “sexy” in our world?

    A cigarette has become a fetish. A fashion accessory. If one carries a cigarette in their hands, they are considered hot and “mysterious”. Want to increase mystique? Fiddle with a cigarette between your fingers. Even runway models are sporting the nicotine. 

And despite smokers smelling like absolute trash in person (I purposely cough in front of smokers), the idea of being a tortured intellectual, a rich and mysterious Hollywood icon, a famous detective, cold and brooding, all have a small accessory in common. Smoking. Vaping? God no, that’s just trashy, but there’s some classiness to a Marlboro. After all, fashion is all about looking like you didn’t try too hard. How has society done a complete 180 from the anti-smoking ads we used to see? It has done a 360 and gone back to when smoking was considered cool. And in today’s world, a cigarette is classic. The LBD of accessories.

A nonchalant aura, a mysterious purpose, popping the slender rod fitting perfectly in your mouth gives people automatic confidence. A film noir mood. A sleazy sexiness. All the while your lungs shrivel up and turn black. I think this revival of the cigarette statement has to do with the Kate Moss “Heroin Chic” revival we see alongside the Tumblr girl blogger revival (tehee) and the overall depressive mystique of the Lana Del Rey Ultraviolence sad girl aesthetic. 

Oh, and the new corporate IT girl, the office siren. The girl who’s so done with her job that she smokes, but she’s so good at it, class and elegance follow her every sensual step, a subtle ooh la la when she walks by. Smoking was considered manly, and trashy for any young woman to smoke, but it was a normal habit for men. Like drinking tea. But fashion is always looking to rebel, so in the 20s we saw ads of the flapper woman smoking, a rebel, a sexually deviant woman reveling in her independence and power. In the 20’s, women were heading to a more androgynous figure anyway. With notions of rebellion and independence all the rage, flapper models were often pictured in advertorials with a cigarette in hand. In the 70s to 80s, smoking served to indicate that women were recognised, and accorded status, as consumers. Now, it is a feminine elite hobby. 

The Flapper Girl

In the 90s, when Kate Moss was rarely seen without a cigarette in hand, luxury high fashion brands even went ahead to collaborate with cigarette companies to create “luxury” cigarettes, gearing the market even more towards women. Specifically, to the young and fashion-forward elite woman, seeking to replicate or even become one of the supermodels of the 90s. To smoke or not to smoke, that was your choice, but how could one refuse a YSL or a Givenchy Ritz?

Ritz and YSL cigarette collaboration, 1988.

Despite the absolute irony of the logo in the corner, warning folk of the carbon monoxide present, cigarettes are still seen as a fashion statement to this day. In February this year, multiple models swaggered down the Christian Cowan catwalk with a cigarette bopping between their fingers in a collection depicting the elevated glamour of the rich housewife. Think Audrey Hepburn and her long cigarette stick. One specific look was, to me, a direct call back to the flapper persona. 

The industry is known for its rebellious spirit and its intention to provoke, so it’s no surprise that cigarettes are still linked with fashion. But it’s not just in the industry, it’s also in Hollywood. The two are often intertwined anyway, so who can say we’re surprised? Throughout Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, lead actor Cillian Murphy smoked roughly 3,000 cigarettes, a figure so high that he has vowed to play a non-smoker in his next film. TV is no better. HBO’s The Idol featured plenty of scenes of its star Lily-Rose Depp, who smokes in real life, puffing seductively on various cigarettes from scene to scene. As I said, a direct call back to the coquette ultraviolence Tumblr girl blogger. The starved smoker, if you will.

Do I think the nostalgia for the 90s and the whole Y2K movement have something to do with this? Absolutely

And yet, the recent romanticization of smoking on our screens and runways coincides with rising rates of smoking among young people. In January, a new study from University College London (UCL) revealed that there was a major surge in 18- to 24-year-olds in England taking up smoking during the pandemic. Before COVID-19, the number of people smoking overall was falling 5.2 percent per year, but since 2020, the rate of decrease has slowed to just 0.3 percent. Yikes. 

But we all know smoking is disastrous for your health, the literal cancer stick causes diseases such as heart disease and lung diseases like COPD, emphysema, chronic bronchitis, and lung cancer. But you can either look cool or die, so pick your vices. Essentially, it’s sexy to smoke and cool to not care. It’s an easy metaphor for grungy rebellion, something the industry has a soft spot for. 

Do not let the sleazy stick fool you, though, as in reality it is a smelly, sticky stench filled object, clinging to your fingertips and hair. And here’s my PSA for the day! Smoking is NOT hot, having nice bubblegum pink lungs is  🎀And so is reading this blog.

My Favourite Iconic Moments in High Fashion

Fashion is a landscape known for taking risks, so intertwined with politics, that one can guess a society's culture just by the person's clothing. It is a parade of audacious fashion statements and unforgettable moments, and oftentimes, life changing. Like for me, it was Versace’s Spring 2004 Ready-To-Wear collection. Every single one of those dresses can be worn today. Changed my world, I tell you.

Versace Spring 2004

Have you ever looked into your grandma’s closet and seen a Chanel jacket that you would still wear to a golf club? Or wondered why everyone still fawns over Audrey Hepburn's “Little Black Dress” to this day? These iconic moments in high fashion history have quite literally defined the way we dress and what we view as elegant and classic. Here are some of the moments in High Fashion that have set trends, turned heads, and sometimes left me scratching mines.

1. The Little Black Dress

Black is a colour synonymous with elegance and class, a tone never going out of style. Black is slimming after all. But every fashion girlie knows you just have to have that one black dress in your closet, the one that’s never going to let you down. I mean, this is the equivalent of a trusty sidekick in movies, the LBD is the one fashion item that has cemented itself in literal fashion history. 

In Paris, basically, 100 years ago, Coco Chanel unveiled the original “Little Black Dress” during the Great Depression in 1926, a stark contrast to the Roaring Twenties that defined this decade for us, the LBD was minimal and modern, classy and elegant, and best of all, affordable. A drawing of a simple black dress was published in the American Vogue magazine in 1926. It had long narrow sleeves with a string of pearls as an accessory. The dress was designed by Coco Chanel and was dubbed ‘Chanel’s Ford’. It was simple and accessible to all. Vogue said that it would soon become a sort of uniform for all women who had a taste for fine things. Even when you were starving, you could do so elegantly. 

Coco Chanel

The LBD is unique in a way that any black dress can become the LBD, unique to you and your own style. You don’t need a bedazzled gold dress or a frilly one to be considered elegant, and the little black dress shows this. From Audrey Hepburn’s iconic LBD in Breakfast at Tiffany’s to the countless other renditions by celebrities and designers, the little black dress’s impact was not so very little, proving that less is more.

Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast At Tiffany's

I have my own LBD. It’s my abaya. 

2. 2018 Met Gala

Now, while I have my own opinions about religious symbolism or religion in general being mixed up in fashion (I hate loathe it 🤗) and the fact that the Met Gala is usually a hit or miss in most cases, in 2018…they kinda ate.

The theme of the Met Gala was “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination,” based on the MET’s own spring 2018 exhibition, it features “dialogue between fashion and mediaeval art from The Met collection to examine fashion's ongoing engagement with the devotional practices and traditions of Catholicism.” Basically, catholic symbols and iconography in fashion. 

We saw a lot of print in 2018, very fitting of the time periods, but we saw a lot of that ethereal renaissance aesthetic on the red carpet. From angelic wings to gilded halos, attendees embraced the theme perfectly. While there were some misses, there were a whole lot of hits. 

Blake Lively, Met Gala 2018

One of the celebrities I saw lean more into the “mediaeval” aspect of the theme was Zendaya’s iconic look. While it isn’t my favourite look from her, I love it. LOVE ITTT!! For menswear, though I despise Trevor Noah and refuse to give him any credit, his designers ate that. Balmain ate that. 

Zendaya, 2018 Met Gala

Balmain, Met Gala 2018

While I won't go through all the looks of the 2018 Met Gala, I highly encourage you to check out all the outfits from it as it was one of the rare Met Gala’s where it felt like people actually followed the theme beautifully. Except for Anna Wintour. Obviously. Actually, maybe I should cut her some slack, it was one of the only times she slightly ate. Like 5%. 

Rihanna's STUNNING Gown, Met Gala 2018

3. Princess Diana’s Iconic “Revenge Dress”

Princess Diana was truly the people’s princess. Being a south asian girly, daughter to an Imran Khan die hard supporter mom, Princess Diana was revered greatly in the desi community for some odd reason. And you know what? I think it's well founded! I think we all should love and support her! Would Princess Diana support Free Palestine? I think she would. 

Despite her tragic story and life, Miss Princess served greatly. Not only looks, but to the community as well. What made Diana’s version of the LBD so famous was the surrounding circumstances. The plot: a televised interview where Prince Charles (the man too ugly for her anyways) publicly admitted to his infidelity. The plot twist: Diana, charging forth with poise and power, chose this exact moment to make her own statement—a fashion choice so audacious and unforgettable, breaking royal law,  that it would etch itself into the historical record of the royal family.

Enter the 'revenge dress': a sleek, black, off-the-shoulder number by Christina Stambolian, chosen well, a carefully curated statement piece. It hugged the figure, the neckline plunged! Oh dear, is that…cleavage?! And, it was black. 

Revenge Dress

It was public betrayal and public defiance, donned the name “Revenge Dress”. Princess Diana’s revenge dress was a masterful blend of personal assertion and style that broke multiple unwritten rules of royal fashion and protocol. Her bold choice not only made a powerful personal statement but also challenged the established norms of how members of the royal family should dress and behave in the public eye. This iconic moment remains a testament to one's ability to use fashion as a means of personal expression and defiance.

Also, she just looked gorgeous in everything. RIP Diana, you would’ve loved Summertime Sadness/

4. Christian Dior’s “New Look”

Christian Dior is single handedly given the cake for defining an entire decade with a singular look, the New Look. Smack-dab post war, Dior’s reputation as one of the most important couturiers of the twentieth century was launched in 1947 in just under three months, with his very first collection, in which he introduced the "New Look." 

Broad shoulders, a cinched waist, and curves and full flaring skirts, the New Look celebrated a return to ultra femininity pre war, bringing in the full rage of the hourglass body shape. The new look became more of a silhouette, emphasising feminine curves and a full figure. 

It was a revival of French couture (Dior had spent a lot of time in France, during World War II, Dior served in the south of France, then returned again to Paris in 1941 and worked for Lucien Lelong at a much larger design house.) after the German Occupation of WWII. It was so revolutionary then, for the fact that it was a step back into “normalcy” using an abundance of fabric, forgetting wartime rations. It is exactly what Dior himself envisioned, leaving wartime behind:

Classic Silhouette, the New Look

“‘We were leaving a period of war, of uniforms, of soldier-women with shoulders like boxers. I turned them into flowers, with soft shoulders, blooming bosoms, waists slim as vine stems, and skirts opening up like blossoms.’” This is how Dior described his vision for his “New Look” collection, according to TIME magazine’s 1957 cover story on the fashion designer.

However, not everyone loved it. Hmph, idiots! Critics argued that the extravagant use of fabric was out of touch with post-war austerity, and some viewed the style as a regression to pre-war femininity. What did they want? To live in slacks for the rest of their life?  Despite this, the New Look’s impact was undeniable and enduring.

In conclusion…

There are so many more iconic fashion moments I can write about, for example Chanel No.5! But I fear I have written too much already and really, I can just go on and on…and on. But these were some of the less obscure fashion moments I love, and some I felt many people could relate to me with. Fashion is an ever changing space, and despite some changes being unwarranted, every fashion runway is a reflection and a tiny peek into the future of how we may wind up dressing. Should I make this into a series?                

The Ultimate Throwback: Why 90's Blowout Hairstyling is Still the Gold Standard

 The 90’s were a transformative time for fashion, creating some of the most iconic fashion styles and subcultures we have today. One runway show from any high fashion brand in the 90s is enough to outstyle the entire collection of a brand today. It was an ERA for fashion and beauty alike, and god do I ever think that I was born in the wrong generation (as corny as that may sound). I mean, think about it, if I was born in the late 80’s, I would’ve experienced the 90s and the 2000s! Oh my god, take me there! 

The hairstyles of the 90’s were also…interesting, to say the least. What I mean is, “The Rachel” is best left in the past, one of the more unfortunate relics of the 90s alongside crimped hair and the Shag… but one of the hairstyles that really defined this era for me, emerging as a timeless icon, the 90’s blowout. Characterised by its voluminous texture, sleek finish, and unmistakable attitude, this hairstyle has refused to fade into obscurity.

I, for one, am so glad the useless and frankly, cultish trend of minimalism is slowly but surely leaving! Dressing up in one shade of clothes, and the same slicked back look is NOT hot. Minimalism is an excuse for people to feel better about themselves since the rest of their life is out of control. But people now are returning to that ooh la la when walking into a room. And the 90s blowout was a supermodel staple, with icons like Naomi Campbell and Cindy Crawford sporting that perfectly voluminous and bouncy sleek hair.

Now I recognize that the blowout is very much limited to straight hair, but hey! Wigs! I mean, I think just layers in general gives that 90’s look, and automatically increases femininity. There’s something about a perfectly coiffed and voluminous blowout that just makes me sigh with heart eyes as if I have laid my hair upon the perfect female ever. And it’s not limited to long hair, as well! Short blowouts look just as classy. 

Something was in the air in the 90's, everyone was so fine.

People are going back to the blowouts, and I, for one, am ever so grateful. Go out in glam, ladies! Minimalism was never cute. 

Why the Pink Coquette Aesthetic is Already Fading Fast

 What do you think of when you think of the word “coquette”? When a character in a book is described as coquette nowadays, you don’t think of a woman who is flirty and manipulates men to get what she wants, oh no, that’s a siren woman! A coquette now is just a woman who wears…pink and bows?

The, in my opinion, revolutionary aesthetic of coquette is one of the many aesthetics I mourn the loss of due to capitalism and fast fashion. I remember being a middle schooler in 2021, when the Lana Del Rey, vintage red americana, vintage lace and frills, melting candles surrounding Mary Jane’s coquette aesthetic was trending. And for many people, that is how we remember the once small community of the tiktok coquette’s, or what used to be called the “Lolita-core” or “nymphet” girls. It seems there is a common theme of the naming for this style, all rooted in hypersexualization of little girls (a common theme in Lana’s music), and now just a few years later, the style has been completely watered down but we still recognize that theme in the form of tiktok’s latest obsession: bows. Specifically, pink bows. 

Now, coquette has merged into more of a dollete fashion, the pink completely overtaking the aesthetic and the original Lana Del Rey, the coquette queen’s previous influence on the fashion as well has now been reduced to just music. It reminds me of the pink pilates princess aesthetic. So many influencers I followed because I enjoyed the pink pilates princess aesthetic have now changed into the “coquette” aesthetic because of what it is seen as coquette now. I mean, where has the pink pilates princess aesthetic gone? Perhaps I should write a blog post about that soon…

What used to be frilly babydoll dresses and soft fabrics, gorgeous pearl jewellery, has now been reduced to pink tops with a bow plastered on. And if you’re really stylish, a bow in your hair. The previous coquette took on a more preppy and upper class feminine look, with a sensual touch here and there via Lizzy Grant’s magic. Now, it seems like coquette is just Sofia Coppola’s 2006 film Marie Antoinette if it was filmed in 2024, in the ghetto…I mean, you can’t convince me grey sweatpants, a pink tube top, and a pink bow in your hair is “cute”, you look like you’re advertising Shein. 

When I saw the hashtags, I nearly jumped.

But it seems I’m not the only one who remembers the now well remembered influence of 2021’s coquette, which dominated my pinterest boards. Multiple netizens have also come out with their own nostalgic retelling of 2021 coquette, all which match what I remember vividly.

Pinterest user @porcelainheroincunt (love the username) said “ughh i remeber in like 2021-2022 when the coquette girls were on tumblr mostly and we were baking those cookies with the heart and jam and the ppl on pinterest like the anime/vocaloid people were calling us toxic and insulting us all the time 😔 i miss it soo bad” 

Me too girl, me too. I remember on TikTok people would bash on the coquette girls, calling them toxic and saying they were promoting p3dophilia and toxic femininity, because of the movies “Lolita” and Lana Del Rey’s music being staples in the aesthetic (I don’t know why Lolita was considered an aesthetic movie…yikes). It seems now coquette has become the new “emo” and an attempt for the girlies to be “different”. 

Another pinterest user @bambinterrupted recalled “i miss when it was heart shaped sunglasses, cooking/baking, reading, cd stores, and cherries.”

Now THIS is the coquette I remember greatly, when baking heart shaped cookies with jelly filled centres on cherry printed table sheets was considered “coquette”, and smoking was considered cute. I mean, smoking being considered cute is something I think is worth also looking into, as it is something I find a staple of MULTIPLE fashion aesthetic and subcultures.  

Ah, my sweet summer coquette child.

Reddit users also share the same sentiment, creating “Bring 2021 Coquette back!” chants. So how come coquette is falling out of favour fast? Well, now, it’s being seen as childish.

At least to the people around me. With trends like “i'm just a girl”  and the pink pilates princess fading quickly, I think the pink Shein bow version of the coquette style will die out. I don’t think the entire coquette trend will die, as here are dedicated fashion girlies dedicated to girl blogging (hehe) and just Lizzy Grant fans worldwide keeping the subculture alive, and hyperfemininity is something timeless that I don’t think will ever go out of Vogue, but it may present itself in different ways. In a couple of months, when no one is sporting the pink bow, you can remember me!

I love pink, and think every outfit can use a bit of pink, but when I see a Shein warrior walk in my classroom with a pink bow hoodie in sweats and sneakers, I can’t help but puke a little.